Rail-joint



(No Model.)

0. FISHER.

I '7 lQ- e 6/ J wrrmasszs: E INVENTOR:

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

CLARK FISHER, OF TRENTON, NEXV JERSEY.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,497, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed February 20, 1890. Serial No. 341,184. (Ncmodeh) T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLARK FISHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Trenton, in the county of Mercer, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain Improvements in Rail Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvementupon that set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 19,555, granted March 9, 1858, to M. Fisher, of Trenton, aforesaid, and known as the Fisher joint; and it relates to the class of contrivances known as joints or splices for the reception of the contiguous ends of railroad rails and commonly called rail joints, the same being devices for connecting the rails and for supporting them both from be neath and laterally. The Fisher rail joint referred to consists of a sole-piece or chair provided with longitudinally-extending vertical flanges upon each side of its upper surface, against which flanges and upon the upper surface of which sole-piecc clamps or forelocks to grasp the bases of the rail ends rest, the said fore-locks being held down upon the rail bases and sole piece by one or more bolts passing through the whole, as by reference to the Letters Patent referred to will more fully appear.

My present invention has for its object improvements in the construction and mode of application of the forelocks of the Fisher rail joint, as a result of which the joint as an entirety is strengthened and rendered more durable.

In connection with my present improvements,I prefer to make use of either a chair or sole-piece,-=-invented by me and patented to me in and by Patent No. 214,032, dated April 8, 187 9,-which is arched in the direction of its length and adapted to support the rails beneath their intersections at its highest portion; or else to make use of a solepiece or chair, also invented by me and patented to me in and by Patent No. 360,673, dated April 5, 1887, in which a liner or filling block for the rails to rest upon is superimposed upon the central portion of the carrying face of the sole piece, but I do not restrict myself to sole pieces of such 'constructions.

A rail joint embodying my improvements is represented in the accompanyingdrawings and hereinafter described, the particular subject matter which I claim as novel being particularly set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is atop plan view of asole piece and of fore-locks embodying my invention applied thereto, the rail ends, however, being, for clearer ilustration, omitted. Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a joint embodying my improvements, and of portions of the meeting ends of rails connected thereby. Fig. 3 is a transverse, vertical, sectional elevation through the joint shown in Fig. 2, in the plane of the dotted line co m upon said figure, and sight being taken in the direction of the arrows upon said line.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A A are the extremital portions of two rails to be joined.

B is a sole-piece or chair, shown as slightly arched in the direction of its length in accordance with the invention set forth, as stated, in my patent No. 211L932. b b are the side flanges of said sole piece.

0 O are cross ties upon which the sole piece rests.

D D are my improved fore-locks, respect ively applied to the respective sides of the stems of the abutting rails, and the bases of which are respectively adapted to be screwed down vertically upon the rail flanges either by means of separate vertical bolts, or else, as shown, by a U-bolt E, the body of which runs transversely across beneath the sole piece immediately below the intersections of the rails, and the up-turned threaded arms of which pass through the sole piece and forelocks, and as shown, are armed with nuts 6 e which bear upon the basal portions of the fore-locks and when tightened up force the latter firmly down against the rail flanges and effect the clamping of said rail flanges between said fore-lock bases and the sole piece.

In the construction represented I have indicated a steel spring bearing piece e interposed between the under face of the sole piece and the cross head of the U-bolt. This bearing piece forms the subject of Letters Patent No. 313,067, granted to me March 3, 1885, and is simply here used by preference.

My improved fore-locks consist each, essen- ICO tially, of a basal portion to which the letter D is applied, and which is approximately horizontal and, as explained, adapted to be screwed down vertically upon the rail flan ges, and of a web-portion to which the letter (Z is applied, which springs upward from the basal portion in a vertical direction, and is adapted to be tightened and held against the vertical rail stems by horizontal connecting bolts E which, as shown, pass through both said web portions of both fore-locks and the stems of the rails. The web portion of each fore-lock preferably has greater longitudinal extension, so to speak, than the basal portion. In other words, the basal portion of each forelock is preferably cut away on each side of its central portion, or that portion which has in it the hole or holes for the vertical uniting bolt or bolts. This cutting away of the basal portion of the fore-lock is, however, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, preferably not carried quite into the bent or angled, corner portion, so to speak, where the base merges into the web.

The result of the foregoing construction is, that whereas the lower surfaces of the bases of the fore-locks are in contact with the upper surfaces of the rail flanges, the area of this contact is reduced tothe extent of the cutting away of said bases, the object of such cutting away being to concentrate the vertical pressure upon the thickest and strongest part of the rail flanges, or that which, in the mounting of the parts, lies beneath the eX- tended web portions of the fore-locks and is nearest to the stem.

In order that the extended web portions of the fore-locks may be screwed up solidly against the stems of the rails without interference from the overhanging heads, these web portions are made of less height than the stems, and therefore do not along their upper edges come in contact with the under surfaces of the rail heads,-and the fore-locks, in consequence, make contact only with the rail stems and flanges.

To provide against the tendency of these fore-locks, when screwed down upon the inclined surfaces of the rail flanges, to slide downward and outward, and also to provide against the separation endwise of the abutting rail ends, the horizontal connecting bolts through the webs of the fore-locks are provided and the basal portions of the fore-locks themselves are also laterally extended to the side flanges of the sole piece.

It is obvious that these peculiarly-shaped fore-locks above described neither are, nor act as, fish bars, and are, moreover, not intended as such, for a fish or angle bar must fit not only as to its bottom edges upon and against the rail flanges, but as to its top edges against and beneath the rail heads, while fore-locks of the character described fit and bear only along their bottom edges on the rail flanges and do not touch the rail heads, and therefore permit the use of pear or other-shaped rail heads which cannotbe used with angle bars.

Having thus described my invention, '1 claim:

1. The combination, with a sole piece or chair, and with rails, of fore-locks formed with basal portions which bear upon the rail flanges and are connected therewith and with the sole piece by a vertical bolt or bolts, and are also formed with upwardly projected web portions which have longitudinal extension beyond that of the basal portions and which bear against the rail stems and are connected therewith by horizontal connecting bolts, the end portions of which webs bear as to their lower edges against only the thickest portion of the rail flanges, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with an arched sole piece or chair, and with rails, of fore-locks formed with basal portions which bear upon the rail flanges and are connected therewith and with the sole piece by a vertical bolt or bolts, and are also formed with upwardly projected web portions of less height than the rail stem, which have longitudinal projection in excess of the basal portions, and which as to their inner faces bear against the rail stems and are connected therewith by horizontal connecting bolts and as to their lower edges bear against the rail flanges in the region where said flanges merge with the rail stems, substantially as set forth.

3. A fore-lock for a rail joint, composed of a basal portion, and of a web portion rising from said basal portion, said web portion having longitudinal extension greater than that of the basal portion, and being of less height than the web or stem of the rail to which it is to be applied, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereunto signed my name this 18th day of February, A. D. 1890.

CLARK FISHER.

In presence of- J. BONSALL TAYLOR, F. NORMAN DIXON. 

